The Bishop of St Albans received the following written answers on 28th June 2021:
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what plans they have to give residents, tenants and leaseholders the right to access their building’s fire risk assessment.
Lord Greenhalgh (Con): The Building Safety Bill seeks to provide residents, tenants and leaseholders of high rise buildings with further and more detailed information about the safety measures in their building upon request. This information may include full, current and historical fire risk assessments: further detail will be set out in due course.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the impact that the updated guidance on external wall fire review processes (the EWS1 form) will have on the ability of leaseholders to sell their leases.
Lord Greenhalgh: The Royal Institution of Charted Surveyors (RICS) guidance on the proportionate use of the EWS1 process is a step forward in terms of clarity for consumers and a consistent, more proportionate approach to valuation assessments. This ensures that EWS1 assessments are only requested when absolutely necessary. RICS are currently monitoring the impact of the updated guidance.
MHCLG estimates that if lenders which use the EWS1 process follow the RICS guidance, nearly 500,000 flat owners will not need to ask their building owner to commission an EWS1 form.
So far, most major lenders, representing roughly 80% of the mortgage market, have said that they will adopt the RICS guidance or already take a markedly less risk-averse approach.
Recent data from one major lender suggests that an EWS1 already exists for 50% of mortgage applications where one is requested, and we are working with industry to ensure this picture only improves.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government what assessment they have made of the number of leaseholders unable to sell their leases because of (1) cladding issues not addressed by the financial scheme to support cladding removal, and (2) fire safety issues other than cladding.
Lord Greenhalgh: The Department does not hold the data in the form requested.
The Lord Bishop of St Albans asked Her Majesty’s Government, further to the fire at the Blue apartment block in Leeds on 8 June, what plans they have, if any, to organise an emergency roundtable meeting with (1) developers, (2) insurance companies, and (3) finance providers, in relation to flammable cladding and other fire safety defects present in residential developments.
Lord Greenhalgh: The impact on residents living in high-rise buildings with unsafe cladding is clearly understood and recognised. That is why the Government is investing over £5 billion to remediate high rise residential buildings with unsafe cladding.
Flat owners in buildings between 11 and 18 metres, will be protected from unaffordable costs of cladding removal with a generous government-backed finance scheme, capped at £50 a month.
The Department and Ministers frequently engage with building owners and developers on their responsibilities for building safety and remediation, as well as insurance and finance providers on their market response to the challenges.
The Church of England in Parliament 
You must be logged in to post a comment.